


Raise My Shield (to protect you)

by DragonSaphiraReads



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate POV, Eret is a complex character, Eret's POV, He/Him Pronouns For Eret, and nobody talks about it, and there was a moment in the finale where he protected Tommy and Tubbo with his shield, season 2 finale, so here i am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:33:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSaphiraReads/pseuds/DragonSaphiraReads
Summary: He had let Dream control him for long enough, and now it was time to fight back.DSMP Season 2 Eret POV. A little look into Eret's character, and his motivations during the finale.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	Raise My Shield (to protect you)

Punz had gathered everyone together not long after Tommy and Tubbo had left, and he hadn’t minced words.

“If we don’t save them, Dream will take control of the entire server. If either of them dies, we lose our chance for freedom.”

There was confusion, followed by anger from some. Why should they put their lives on the line for Tommy, they asked, when he had caused so many problems in the past? If Dream was going to get rid of him, maybe that’s for the best.

There were a few who stood up and fought that idea. Sam and Puffy both argued that while Tommy was a troublemaker, he was only a kid. Puffy was especially passionate, saying that it was clear Tommy had gone through so much during his exile, and he hadn’t come back the same kid. Tommy and Tubbo both deserved to live, and there were better ways to deal with their antics than killing them.

Some agreed right away – Ranboo and Quackity were part of L’manburg after all, even though it had been reduced to ash. Bad and Ant didn’t seem to care strongly one way or the other, but they stood to support Puffy and Sam. HBomb followed Eret as they both joined Puffy, the king following his knight’s lead.

Some took a little cajoling – Niki had given in after Puffy had spoken softly with her, and Jack followed her. Ponk was similar to Bad and Ant, in that he didn’t seem to have a strong opinion one way or another. Eventually, he was convinced by Punz out of simple curiosity, which worked as well as any appeal to empathy.

Some left entirely, either out of disinterest or fear or negativity towards the two kids they would have to save. Let them die, they said, and Punz let them go.

Finally, there were only two left, discussing in hushed tones long after the rest of the group had dispersed. Sapnap was there, decked out fully in netherite, looking close to tears as he spoke with Callahan.

Punz tapped his foot, telling them that they needed to get going soon if they wanted to have any chance. Sapnap looked back and forth, and with a small nod from Callahan, seemed to come to a decision. He let out a ragged breath, then raised his chin, eyes misty but determined as he met Punz’s gaze.

“I’m coming.”

The sound of dozens of footsteps echoed through the Nether, thundering loud in Eret’s ears. It was occasionally punctuated by the odd piglin snort or ghast scream, but those quickly passed. Punz led the way with confidence, seeming to look around for landmarks that were inconsequential or invisible to others. He twisted and turned through the hot dimension, climbing over hills and bridging across lava pits with practiced ease.

There were a few voices here and there, as people called out warnings to those around them when crossing the precarious landscape, but there was no continued conversation. It felt wrong, to try and speak casually when they knew what could be happening at that moment.

Eret’s stomach twisted at the thought. He knew Dream, knew the mind games he liked to play. He wouldn’t just kill the two kids outright, which was their only hope. As long as he kept them alive, the server could be saved.

But he knew that Tommy and Tubbo would not escape from it unscathed.

The king couldn’t help but feel that it was due to his failing that things had gotten this bad. He was supposed to be a ruler, supposed to guide his people in times of trouble. But instead, all he had ever been was a puppet.

He had betrayed his friends for power, but he quickly learned that it was all fake. A fancy title, a pretty outfit, a lavish castle. It looked impressive, but at the end of it all he was never the one making the final call.

Leaving his crown behind to fight with Pogtopia was the first time that he felt like he was free. He had defied Dream, and cut the strings tying him down. Perhaps his friends would never forgive him for his betrayal, but he could have lived with that. He could have beared Wilbur’s scorn, could have tolerated Tommy’s insults he knew were coming from a place of hurt.

But then… L’manburg was gone, and Dream came to him with a crown and a promise of power that had long lost its luster. Eret thought about refusing, but then he had thought, perhaps he could protect the people he cared about by willingly becoming a puppet again.

And so he had slipped the strings back on, looping around his wrists and ankles like miniature nooses, sealing his fate. He had tried to fight back in any way he could, tugging just enough on those strings to be a nuisance, to be a fun new toy that would distract the hunter from his other targets.

But he could never keep his attention for long, and after the exile Dream was never around for long enough to distract.

Eret swallowed down bile, closing his eyes to force away the images that Dream had once described to him about Tommy. He had gloated about it, how he had broken the teenager, speaking about it like a particularly disobedient pet wolf.

He felt an elbow in his side, and he glanced to his right where Puffy was walking, raising an eyebrow at him.

“You ok?”

Eret nodded silently, not trusting himself to speak. Unfortunately, his knight was too sharp, and she immediately noticed his discomfort.

“It’s ok if you’re not, you know. Tommy’s not the only one who’s been affected by Dream.”

She rolled her shoulders, slowing her pace to distance herself from the group. They were near the back already, and fell a few paces behind the rest of them to talk. “I wish I had figured it out  
sooner too. I thought he was just a little duckling, I never thought he was causing so much pain.”

“He’s good at hiding it from people who don’t need to know.” Eret told her simply, and she hummed in agreement.

“We’re not going to let him hide anymore.” Puffy stated, and they both fell into silence again.

They walked further still, until they reached a glowing Nether portal and Punz turned to the rest of them gathered there.

“This is it. Grab your weapons and follow me.”

Punz hoisted his trident in his hand, rolling his shoulders back. Sam stepped up next to him, ready to jump through as soon as Punz disappeared into the swirling purple of the portal. Puffy pulled away from Eret’s side and pushed to the front, side by side with Sam.

They went two or three at a time, jumping through the magic with no hesitation. Eret stepped through last, his stomach lurching in the way it always did going through a portal.

He stepped out into a large blackstone room, with two golden podiums on either side of him. There were people speaking, and he heard Tommy’s panicked voice louder than the others as he saw the kid pushing his way through the entourage and back towards the portal. His face was streaked with tears, and the kid looked like he had been through hell. Tubbo came stumbling past him a moment after, looking white as a ghost.

They didn’t seem to recognize him, eyes glazed over. They were hiding behind the armored body furthest away from the source of danger, trusting that whoever it was would help. Eret held up his shield, blocking them from view of the angered hunter. He wasn’t a fighter, and the shield felt awkward in his hands, but Eret decided right then and there that Dream would have to kill  
him before he got anywhere near them.

“Get back here!”

“Step away from them.” Sapnap growled, catching Dream’s sword against his own. Punz, Sam, and Puffy joined him in forming a half-circle wall, pressing him back. Even with the mask, Eret could feel the fury rolling off of him in waves, and tightened his grip on the shield.

Tommy gasped, and Eret glanced back just for a moment to see his eyes lighting up again. “The discs!”

“The discs!” Tubbo echoed, and suddenly both kids were splitting off, one running to each golden platform and grabbing a disc from the podium. Eret’s eyes flickered back and forth between them and Dream, who thankfully was being held back by the rest of the group. Slowly, the green-clad hunter was backing up, into a hallway that Eret couldn’t see into from his angle.

They joined up back behind him, and then they both seemed to realize who it was they were hiding behind.

“Eret?” Tubbo breathed, and the corner of Eret’s mouth twitched at the sheer surprise in the kid’s voice.

“Are you two alright?” The king asked, and they took a moment to look at each other before nodding.

“You came…” Tommy whispered, and Eret didn’t think it was directed at him. He turned to look at the rest of their armored rescuers, eyes wide. “You all came!”

“You’re not the only one who has a bone to pick with Dream.” Eret told him.

That seemed to spark something in Tommy, who squared his shoulders off and stalked towards the wall of people that had cornered and were now heckling the green-clad man. “Hey, Dream!”  
Eret moved to follow, but then there was a hand around his wrist and he glanced back to see Tubbo staring at him desperately. “What’s wrong, Tubbo?”

“Please, just… stay there for a moment? I think I might pass out.”

Eret blinked, startled by how matter of fact Tubbo had stated that, but as the kid started swaying, he reached forward and hooked an arm around him just as Tubbo’s knees seemed to give out. “Thanks…” Tubbo mumbled softly, reaching up to grab onto anything he could to  
steady himself. Eret crouched slightly to give him a grip on his shoulder.

“Seriously, are you ok?”

Tubbo huffed a laugh, and that was about the only answer Eret needed. He pulled the teen a little closer. 

“I... I’m supposed to be dead...” Tubbo muttered, his fingers curling painfully into Eret’s shoulder, and the words shattered the king’s heart. “He... he was going to... to kill me... and then... then... he was going to put Tommy in prison...”

The teen dragged in a ragged breath, pressing his face into Eret’s netherite chestplate and he wished he could wrap Tubbo up in a warm hug and sooth his growing sobs, without hard armor barring the way. “If... If you guys came just a minute later... he would have... I would be...!”

He was struggling to breath now, and Eret was holding up his entire weight as his legs had completely given out. The king gently lowered them both to the floor, allowing Tubbo to crawl closer and hold onto him like a lifeline. Eret rubbed soft circles onto his back, letting the teen fall apart in his arms. 

“I’m sorry, Tubbo, for failing you and Tommy. But I promise... I will never let him hurt you again. Dream will have to go through me if he ever wants to try and harm you.”

Tubbo’s sobs were muffled, and he pulled himself back together far quicker than he should have. The teen’s eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks stained with streaks, but he pulled away and stood up, looking over at Tommy and the rest of the group. Then he looked back down at Eret, and his voice was warm.

“Thank you, Eret."

**Author's Note:**

> Pls comment if you like, I’m working on a much longer fic series that I hope to maybe start posting soon, so also subscribe to my profile so you don’t miss that!


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